On June 1 I went to work helping out a local photographer shoot one of her weddings in Mayville. My main job was to cover the guys getting ready.

I had no idea what I would encounter. Driving up to the small rural house with a barn in the back yard, I was excited to take on the challenge of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. You see a lot of grand wedding photographs, but you have to realize most of the time photographers aren't just handed perfect light, perfect locations, perfect supermodels and perfect weather. We have to know how to turn whatever we get into something special. That's one thing that separates the pros from the amateurs. I knew the pressure was on me to get quality shots with whatever I encountered. And I did.

As soon as I got out of the car, I looked around the property for potential photo spots. I then met the groom and hauled in my gear. I was pleased to find a large living room window and some blank walls. I knew I could get some classic window light shots of the groom getting ready. Did I go full length? No. Closely cropped shots get the job done. I used a 50 mm 1.8 lens on a DX camera to crop tight and eliminate distractions, which were eminent -- couches, printers, tables, doorways. A great photo is as much in the decisions of composition as it is in the exposure. Anyone can go in with a 24 mm and blast away, even capture the light, but if you don't think about the finished image, you won't get it. The art is more about chiseling and brushing than blasting.

I also used a hand-held meter -- yes -- to meter the window light and shot on manual. Did it slow me down? No. Matrix, spot, hand-held -- each is valid. It's a matter of preference, and while you're posing the groom, how hard is it to take a quick hand-held reading and go? The fastest system for me is having the meter in a pouch on my belt instead of around my neck, where it gets tangled. On Nikon pro cameras, the switch from manual to aperture priority is the blink of an eye, so I can always adjust to a developing situation if I need to, but when I have a moment I like to use manual for perfect exposures.

Outside, I was able to use the east side of the barn as a natural backdrop for portraits of the groom alone, and the light happened to be good for it. I also shot mom and dad there. Full-length, tight, horizontal, vertical -- do them all one after the other. Quick clicks, done. I shot the groomsmen group under a tree, which in hindsight wasn't perfect but yielded usable shots. There were just enough clouds to prevent hard dappling. In the future, I would prefer to go out even in full sun and simply fill with flash than have to deal with even slightly dappled light unless I had no other choice. The other option is to overpower ambient with flash.

The main thing I learned was that the guys shots can be done in 30 minutes or less. Once the suits are on, it's snap time and if you know the system you can get it done, even the details and the window light shots. What you can't force are the moments the guys have together, so capturing some of that takes a little bit of time hanging out. But you could also fake many of those moments if you had to. You'd be surprised at how many of the top photographers' shots are staged -- most of them.

During the ceremony I was able to do what I wanted. I had one Speedlight on a stand set up next to the aisle for shots of couples walking down. I used the PocketWizard Mini/Flex system with the Gary Fong diffuser. The quality of light was plenty good and a soft box would've been too intrusive. I can tell you from experience that the diffusion dome has a tendency to fall out. To fix this, I simply put a Velcro strap on the diffuser and dome to keep it from falling off if it gets loose. The last thing you want is a dome rolling down the aisle in front of the bride. I picked out a spot and metered the light to match the ambient, and then I used ISO and shutter speed to lower the ambient to get some shadows. In this situation I make the ambient the fill light. I lowered the stand for the ceremony and raised it again for the conclusion. I turned off the flash using the AC3, but I never turned off the camera or PW system or changed lenses because I didn't want to risk any startup issues later. I just needed it to work, and it did.

Afterward, I helped shoot formals that were set up for me. The rig was an Alien Bee with a soft box and PW setup on a light stand. A half day's work, and it is work, hauling gear up and down stairs, setting up and tearing down, constantly moving and thinking, pleasing the client. Amateurs like the idea of doing weddings but many drop out after their first one because they realize they're in over their heads. I know the work it takes and my goal is to better with every wedding until I get to the top. I have learned from every wedding I've done, and if I ever stop learning, I might as well quit the business because I'll have nothing new to offer.

If you're getting married, I'd be happy to talk to you about photographing your wedding day. If you're a photographer who needs an additional shooter, I'm also available.